GUELPH – A Guelph woman without a safe space to call home, delivered an impassioned plea to Wellington County Council, asking for support for the Guelph Tiny Homes Coalition.
The coalition aims to bring a tiny homes community to Guelph to give a safe housing option for people experiencing homelessness.
Morgan Dandie told council, at 57, she is effectively homeless, barely able to afford a storage locker for a lifetime of cherished possessions. Dandie says she relies on the Ontario Disability Support Program which does not provide enough money to cover private accommodation.
“Without something like a tiny homes [community]…I will never be in a position where I can have a lockable, safe space that’s just mine,” Dandie said through tears.
Dandie is now considered among the “hidden homeless,” those who are staying with friends but have no long term accommodation. This weekend she is being forced to move for the third time this year. She says if she ends up on the street, she’ll lose an important chunk of her ODSP benefit.
“If I lose the dwelling portion of my assistance, that does not leave me enough money to pay for the storage unit that I have nearly 60 years of my personal memories in,” Dandie explained.
Dandie’s situation is further complicated by her service dog, Max. Because she cannot afford a private apartment, she must live in shared housing. That means she can be refused if someone else in the unit has an allergy to dogs.
“The number of locations, especially when you are in a shared living situation, that don’t allow pets or say they are not pet friendly are extremely high,” she explained. “Even though he is a service animal, because I am in a situation where I am not the leaseholder, it’s a shared accommodation situation, I can be refused. People can just say ‘Oh, I have an allergy.'”
Dandie considers herself to be resourceful but has not been able to find more permanent housing that fits her circumstances.
“If I had a tiny home shelter, where I could have the most important things to me in the same space with me, living in a community, work with people, continue my advocacy work, it would just provide that stability,” she said.
The Guelph Tiny Homes Coalition is working to find a location in the city for the community. Wellington County Council seemed supportive of the initiative but couldn’t commit any funding since the proposed community is within the City’s jurisdiction.
However, Councillor Campbell Cork suggested if provincial or federal funding were to become available, it’s possible the County could funnel some of that towards the project.
